I updated my “Phone Art” gallery with images taken last year using the Nokia N85, N96 and N97 mobiles. These are what I considered “b-roll” images not worth publishing. But in reviewing my collection of photos, I changed my mind. More b-roll pics will follow.
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If Ovi Store was a good as this video, Nokia would have kicked Apple’s ass long ago.
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Snail taken using Nokia N97 close-up mode
Smartphone design is a series of compromises. It’s about making disparate functions fit oddly together. Engineers must find the best balance so that extended features don’t compromise those of highest priority. A smartphone is still a phone first, and everything else second. There, the Nokia N97 delivers. The audio call quality is simply outstanding. It’s the best I’ve heard or had others hear from any handset—and that’s using a Nokia BH-804 bluetooth earpiece. Several friends described the sound as “lively” and “full.” One person said “rich.”
Close-up of snail taken with Nokia N97
On June 10, I sold my beloved Nokia N96 and the N79 abandoned by my daughter for the E71; the proceeds paid for the N97, which I purchased from Nokia USA. For the price of one N97, I could have bought two iPhone 3GS smartphones with some money left over. My N97 arrived on June 12, seven days before Apple and AT&T started selling the iPhone 3GS.
Why spend so much? As I’ll explain in the next post, on first impressions, the N97 is a mix of well-balanced capabilities packaged oddly together.
This is my first photo taken with the hotly-anticipated Nokia N97 smartphone, which I received on June 12. My 14 year-old daughter anxiously waits to board a plane from Long Beach, Calif. to Washington, D.C.
Do you have a photo story that you’d like told? Please email Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail dot com.
Many gadget reviewers will unfairly compare the Nokia N97 to the iPhone 3GS. They would be wrong to do so. Such reviews compare two things that poorly fit oddly together.
The iPhone is not the gold standard by which all other smartphones are measured. Too many reviewers dismiss other excellent smartphones, such as the Palm Pre, simply because they don’t have the same features as iPhone. Duh, of course they don’t have the same features. Competition is about differentiation. The N97, like the Pre, offers benefits that are different from iPhone. None of these smartphones necessarily appeals to the same buyers. Nor should they.
Not everyone needs or should want to buy an iPhone. Other smartphones charm in their own way. If the manufacturers have done right, other handsets will offer something different, and hopefully better.
The N97 should have broad appeal, with benefits and features either not found on iPhone 3G/GS or offered weakly by the device(s). Some example N97 benefits:
Do you have a smartphone story that you’d like told? Please email Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail dot com.
Yesterday, I received the Nokia N97. My first impression is “WOW.” This is the cell phone—eh, smartphone—I always wanted. I posted an unboxing set on Flickr. The many features fit well but oddly together.
I am at odds with the Boy Genius Report’s N97 review, which posted same day I received the smartphone. Many people who might otherwise have purchased the N97 won’t because of BGR’s somewhat negative reaction. I’m a huge BGR fan, but not of this review, which finds hardware faults where there aren’t any. Nokia Experts review, posted today, is much closer to my experience using the N97.
Do you have a smartphone story that you’d like told? Please email Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail dot com.
My Nokia N96 experimental video blogging continues. I shot two mall escapades yesterday, but posted only the one. My goal is simple: Practice, practice, practice. I want to get proficient at:
I traded in the iPhone 3G for the N96 for a reason. Video doesn’t go with iPhone 3G, but fits nicely and oddly together with the N96.
Do you have a gadget story that you’d like told? Please e-mail Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail.com.
Happy New Year! We celebrated at the beach, where I shot some quick video using the Nokia N96. One main reason I dumped iPhone 3G for the N96: To shoot video blogs. But I was sick—flu, then bronchitis—for the better part of a month. I’m recovering, finally, and now it’s video time.
This first one is a test, as I explore best way to get the best video from the Nokia N96. The background is beautifully clear in each frame of today’s shoot, while my face is a blur. Hey, but that’s not a bad thing. The soft focus takes off some ugliness. :)
The N96, its astounding video capabilities and a warm winter beach day go oddly together.
Do you have a gadget story that you’d like told? Please e-mail Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail.com.
The Nokia N96 is an amazing mix of features packaged oddly together, particularly the camera. There’s something about less being more. Fewer camera adjustments is kind of liberating, as is editing JPG rather than RAW files. I highly recommend the cameraphone. A digital camera would do better, but the phone is always present, while a digicam is an extra carry-along not often brought along.
Here, vlogger Morriopp reads at a Barnes & Noble bookstore in La Mesa, Calif. The N96 will geotag photos, but I hadn’t turned on the feature.
Do you have a gadget story you’d like told? Please e-mail Joe Wilcox: oddlytogether at gmail.com.
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